


Day 3: A Team-Building Activity

by Flakeblood



Series: I Must Look Trustworthy [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Gen, Kinda, Modern Girl in Thedas, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Self-Insert, Team Bonding, no relation to my other SI, trust building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-29 18:44:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15079331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flakeblood/pseuds/Flakeblood
Summary: Running a training simulation isn't difficult, but running it blindfolded while relying on a teammate who hates you causes some problems.





	Day 3: A Team-Building Activity

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Bioware owns the snarky elf, etc.

"Move forward."

"How much?"

"Until I say to stop."

I huffed but inched forward.

"Faster."

"Damnit Fenris, I don't want to run smack into a wall!"

"You won't if you stop when I tell you to." I sucked in a deep breath to keep from yelling at him, the prick. He was probably enjoying bossing me around.

My hands were held out in front of me, and my eyes whirled around wildly behind the blindfold as I tried desperately to see past it.

"Stop." I froze. "Turn left."

"My left?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

"Until I say to stop." 

I growled, hands clenching around my sword haft now.

"Are you going to turn?" I did until he said, "Stop."

"Now what?"

"The enemy is in front of you." By that, he meant the dummy our group had set up for this trust exercise. I drew my sword.

"Okay. Where? Should I move forward?"

"Yes. Take one step."

"Finally," I muttered. After taking the step, I said, "Here?"

"Yes. Strike."

With a huff, I readied myself. I swung from my right in an upwards slash, and missed.

"Wha-?"

"Reach!" Fenris commanded.

"You said I was in range!"

"We are training for battle. You must never stand within range of an opponent's swings."

"Well you could have said I needed to lunge forward!"

"It is assumed that you know how to use your weapon." I couldn't see, but I could definitely imagine the look of superior disdain on his face, and it made my blood boil.

I lunged forward with a thrust, howling in annoyance. Too soon my sword struck the dummy, the sudden change in velocity throwing me off balance, and I tripped forward.

"Pull back," Fenris commanded.

Ripping my sword out of the dummy, I ground out, "Just tell me where to go next."

Muttering reached my ears. "What was that?" My shoulders felt stiff and my fingers clenched on the hilt.

"It's nothing. Turn left."

My teeth creaked under the stress of my jaw, but I turned. As Fenris gave the next several commands, I tried my best to follow them, while also making sure he knew that he had to clarify. Why Hawke thought both of us should be paired up, I wasn't sure. Fenris hated me.

 _"That's the point,"_ Hawke had said. Great, super. Fenris can just find more things to hate about me.

"Stop. In front of you-" His sentence halted. I tilted my head to the side, but waited for his next instructions. There were a few mumurs, but nothing I could make out.

"Fenris?" I asked, hesitant.

A loud gust of air--a sigh?--and then, "In front of you is an enemy."

"Huh? Again?" I reached forward with the arm still holding the blade.

"No." Fenris sounded so commanding I stopped and pulled back.

"Wha- I thought there was only one dummy?" Even though I couldn't see past the blindfold, I moved my head around, trying to see. "Fenris, if you're messing with me-"

"I am not." He sounded irritated. Or, his voice was rougher. "Ready your weapon."

Rasping of metal on leather alerted me to another weapon being drawn. Right in front of me.

"Fenris?" I called, voice higher pitched and strained.

"Focus." His voice still came from behind me to my left. "Sword up."

Once my sword in the right position, Fenris said, "Alright. This will require good timing. Pay attention, and do as I say when I say it."

"What-?"

"Understood?" I nodded, now shaking. "Good. You will slash left to right, aiming for the torso."

"U-uh-" His tsk kept me from saying more. When he spoke again, he sounded almost pained.

"...You don't need to step forward."

"Okay," I whispered.

"Ready." I tensed. "Now!"

I swung my sword as though attacking an opponent right in front of me, expecting some resistance from a dummy. Instead, I felt my sword hit something far smaller and heard the resounding clang of metal on metal.

"A-another-? Fenris?" My voice sounded like shrieks as I fought for breath.

"Keep calm. Push towards the hilt then back off."

Resistance pushed back against me, alerting me to a person behind the sword I shoved down. Feeling somehow both light and heavy, I slipped out of range of whoever Fenris had just had me attack, sword up to defend.

Fenris hummed behind me. "Good. I believe this will work as the final obstacle, Hawke?"

Eloquent as always, I just shouted, "What? Garrett?" Laughter rang out in front of me.

The thought that our leader was behind my near-heart attack built a pressure in my throat, and I squealed in anger. "I'll kill you! How could you scare me like that?"

More laughter followed, even a few chuckles from Fenris, so I sheathed my sword and tugged at my blindfold. Instead of slipping off, it got stuck on my nose, then the back of my head. No matter which direction I pulled it was too tight.

"Andraste's tits," I growled. Pointing dramatically in the direction of Garrett's laughter, I shouted, "You are damn lucky I can't see you, or I'd kick your ass!"

"Wasn't that the point of the exercise?" he said, still sounding amused.

Hands on the back of my head stopped me from screaming again. Swift, sure tugs loosened the knotted blindfold and removed it from my face.

"Tha-" I paused. Garrett was in front of me, a broad smile visible in his beard, but several feet away, right where I left him. Turning, I saw Fenris, calmly folding the cloth in his hands.

He caught my eye. "This was a trust building exercise. We may not agree, but that should not affect our combat."

The lump in my throat refused to be swallowed. "O-oh. I mean, yeah?"

He sighed. "I would not purposely steer you wrong." His moss green eyes bored into mine, and I found it hard not to look at the ground.

"I," clearing my throat I continued, "I understand. Me. Too. I-I hope you can trust me."

The silence felt like a large hand, slowly crushing the life out of me. I turned to leave.

"I already did." My head whipped around, but Fenris was walking away. A hum brought my attention to the taller man that walked up next to me.

"Garrett," I said, voice stern. He just flashed a grin.

"Charming, isn't he?"

"Hm." I watched Fenris turn a corner out of sight. "I'm still mad at you."

"You're welcome."

**Author's Note:**

> Heeeeyyy I'm not avoiding finishing the next chapter in my large SI, hahahahaha. ...But yeah! I wrote this a while back, and figured I might as well throw it here, right? Does no good sitting on my computer.
> 
> So I hope you enjoyed this little training exercise that was running through my head. I focused more on dialogue this time, considering the blindfold. Fenris is fun.


End file.
